Music. Album reviews.

Kenny G The Moment (Arista) (star) 1/2 While the...

November 08, 1996|By Brad Webber.

Kenny G

The Moment (Arista) (star) 1/2

While the success of Kenny G is undeniable, why choose "The Moment" over, say, one by Wayne Shorter or any easy-listening disc from Windham Hill or Narada? The mushy melodies and pedestrian instrumentalism? What's bad about "The Moment" is that Kenny G takes his cues from old Kenny Gorelick, rehashing his LP "Silhouette." His fixation on the Grover Washington Jr.-Bill Withers' tune "Just the Two of Us" again leads him to try the duet form, this time hacking at the talents of Babyface ("Everytime I Close My Eyes") and Toni Braxton. The latter is Anita Baker-lite on "That Somebody Was You," but at least the sax is understated. There are some flourishes as Kenny G plays alto ("Moonlight") and tenor ("Northern Lights"), but not enough to get him out of the category of John Tesh.